Of Kings and Warlocks
by MistyNocturne
Summary: Lelouch thinks he has achieved world peace by executing the Zero Requiem. However, God offers him a chance to return to the past to undo his mistakes and start from scratch, but ends up sending him back to the 6th Century when King Arthur and Merlin are still alive. Lelouch vi Britannia has arrived in Camelot. Will he successfully break the cycle of hatred and war?


**Chapter 1 - Prologue**

**A/N: Hello… This is my very first attempt at writing a fanfic, so please excuse my poor writing if you think that is the case. I realize that I'm taking a **_**huge**_** risk by writing a Merlin and**_** anime**_** crossover of all things (**_**these things don't seem to survive out there…) **_**but in my opinion, Code Geass is NOT your regular kind of lame anime. So, if you're allergic to a bit of crossies, turn back before it's too late…**

**This chapter will serve as a sort of prologue for Lelouch's POV. **

**Warning: Contains spoilers for the **_**finale**_** of Code Geass.**

**Pairings: (Eventual) Merlin/Morgana, Arthur/Gwen, Lelouch/*?**

**Summary: (Set Pre/Post Zero Requiem for CG and after Season 3 The Sorcerer's Shadow for Merlin.) Lelouch thinks he has achieved world peace by executing his Zero Requiem. When he embraces death, however, God offers him a chance to return to the past to undo his mistakes and start from scratch. Little does he know that God intends to send him back into the Medieval Ages where Britannia has yet to exist, and the British Isles are known as Albion. Lelouch vi Britannia has arrived in Camelot and will change the world with Merlin and Arthur. Armed with the knowledge of the future, will he succeed in breaking the never-ending cycle of hatred and war from the 6****th**** Century? **

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Merlin or Code Geass. But I certainly do own the idea of this story…

**I beseech these people not to sue me for how I've written out Lelouch's death (I've tried my best not to take their ideas, but sometimes it's difficult when you've come up with something only to find out that someone else has already done it) Though I thank you for extra inspiration: Tahkaullas01 (Lelouch of the Redemption), and, kyugan (Lelouch of the Second Chance).**

.~.

Geass, both a gift and a curse, is granted by a person who possesses a Code of Immortality. A source of power which manifests differently in each individual, according to their inner desires and personality. Some would compare it to the use of magic.

The young Britannian, Lelouch, once swore that he would avenge his mother's brutal death eight years ago and create a world where his sister, Nunnally, could live peacefully. For that, he obtained such a power from the mysterious lady, C.C., the ability to issue commands to anyone, The Power of Absolute Obedience - Geass. Using his Geass, Lelouch began his movement to destroy the Holy Empire of Britannia his father ruled over, by donning the mask and identity of Zero, the Man of Miracles. In the end, he was betrayed by his mother when he found out that both his parents had attempted to merge the world of the living and the dead into one being, by destroying the gods in the World of C. He managed to kill them to halt the procession, in hopes of working towards a better tomorrow. Now he has usurped the throne as the 99th Emperor of Britannia, and granted Suzaku, his best friend and archenemy, the title of the Knight of Zero, in order to destroy and re-create the nation. However, at the end of that road, what will he have gained? What will he have lost? There is only one certain fate among all this… That those who obtain the Power of the Kings known of Geass will be brought down the path of solitude.

_.~._

_Lelouch couldn't breathe. His dilated eyes were fixed on the screen installed in his private jet. He gulped, incapable of forming any coherent retaliation. The sight before him was impossible. _Just impossible.

_It occurred to him that the footage could have very well been recorded before the massive FLEIJA explosion, that this could be some sort of trick designed by Schneizel to manipulate him into acquiescence of the prince's demands. Nevertheless, it still proved difficult for him to continue watching. The blind princess faced back at him, dressed in an elegant pink garb with a cherry ribbon tied on her chest and a butterfly choker around her neck, while seated on her sophisticated wheelchair. She was still in pristine shape, still so pure and angelic, that it was too good to be true._

"_Nu-Nunnally… you were alive all this long," choked out the newly-crowned emperor. His words came out in slightly more than a quiver of the lips, his voice barely audible._

"_Yes-" Her high, girlish voice rang back with clarity_. Oh, God. _How his heart ached for her. At that very moment, he wanted to cry and laugh and jump with joy, before she added, "-thanks to our brother, Schneizel."_

_His wall of defence went up in reflex at the mention of his accursed brother. His mind filled with a number of rational explanations that disproved the authenticity of this conversation. Someone could have impersonated his beloved sister. His maid, Sayoko, had once done a convincing job of impersonating himself while he was in China, in order to prevent suspicion of his absence during Zero's time of activity. That knowledge was enough to convince him that it was a possibility. If not, Schneizel knew what he was doing then. However sceptical he was, a large part of him prayed that this person was the _real _Nunnally._

"_Schneizel..?" he uttered, suddenly wishing death upon the man. How dare he? How_ dare _he use Nunnally against him this way?_

"_Nunnally. Do you understand what Schneizel just did?" queried Suzaku, his emerald eyes glittering dangerously. Suzaku, his accomplice in the Zero Requiem, was also his first true friend. He'd forgotten that the knight was even in the jet. _

"_Yes, he detonated a FLEIJA warhead over the City of Pendragon."_

"_You know that, yet why do you still-"_

"_Then are you saying that Geass is a better way?" retorted the young girl._

_Suzaku recoiled in defeat._

"_Brother and Suzaku… both of you have lying to me all this time, right? You've always kept the truth away from me… But I know the truth now," she said, with some finality. "Brother, you were Zero, right?"_

_Lelouch froze and inhaled sharply._

"_Why?" Nunnally beseeched, detecting her brother's distress over the line. "Was it… for my sake?" She placed a hand on her heart. "If so-"_

_Lelouch bent over. His body erupted slightly, as if he was sobbing. Suzaku and C.C. glanced at him, and knew what was to come. He chuckled derisively, before jeering, "_For you?_" He steepled his fingers and smirked. "Such audacity coming from my _sister_ of all people."_

_Nunnally gasped._

"_You believe it is natural for people to receive blessings? You scorn the action of others without staining your own hands." His fingers trembled all the while, encountering immense difficulty in delivering the scornful speech to his beloved sister. "You are exactly the archaic nobility I have denied."_

"_That's… not…" whimpered Nunnally, heartbroken by the revelation._

"_I didn't do it for anyone," Lelouch declared, and furrowed his eyebrows. "I want the world for my own sake. If you are to join hands with Schneizel and stand before my hegemony, than I shall spare no mercy on you. I'll just need to crush you." _

"_Big Brother-" Nunnally managed to get through, before Lelouch cut off the connection._

_.~._

_Was this all worth it? _thought Lelouch, as he sat at the edge of his bed, brooding over his decisions. He wanted to murder the part of him that made him go along with antagonizing his sister.

Deception and lies. That was the very essence of his being, ever since the day he had been exiled, by his father to Japan along with a crippled Nunnally. In all honesty, not to be ironic, he was exhausted from all of it. He was jaded from keeping up appearances to the many masks he had forced himself to wear. Although he had admitted that people lied because they yearn something, and was an important albeit negative trait of humanity, he couldn't help but feel the crushing weight of the deceit he'd accumulated.

He finally realized why he'd refused to initially reveal his identity as Zero to Nunnally. He had been too immature back then, too afraid of her rejecting his ideals and actions, and of what would happen if the long-held secrets created a rift between them. He had been a shadow living in the light, constantly fearing the consequences of the unspoken truths.

He still was, but things were different now.

He knew there was no going back. He had to centre the hatred of the world on himself and eliminate it through his fall. By doing that, he would end the continuous cycle of war, poverty and starvation. Even if it meant making Nunnally abhor him for his 'malevolence' forever. The thought of her hating him struck deep in his heart, but it was a necessary sacrifice for her own happiness in the future.

If only there was someone out there, someone who understood what he was going through. C.C. may have been a long-suffering immortal caught in between his ordeal, but she wasn't going to have the whole world opposing her as they were him. Suzaku was no different, despite him eventually having to don the mask of Zero for the rest of his life, once he was gone. Perhaps then he would apprehend the responsibilities of upholding justice while having to hide away his identity, but not now. Suzaku wouldn't understand that particular burden just yet.

In other words, the destiny of the whole world presently rested upon his shoulders _alone_.

The raven-haired emperor basically wasn't allowed to live as his real self. He felt restrained. The world would not know anything but his cold, ruthless persona. If he revealed his true self to those around him, save for C.C. and Suzaku, he had to live in fear of everything crumbling into nothingness- or into more maelstrom, and that was exactly the opposite of what he was trying to achieve. Therefore, he had no choice but to go through with the Zero Requiem, no matter how challenging it would prove to be.

Who was he really? Lelouch Lamperouge, the carefree, charming and sociable student of Ashford Academy? Lelouch vi Britannia, the Black Prince of Britannia who died many years ago in the Britannian conquest of Japan? Zero, the Man of Miracles who fought for justice? Or was he really just Lelouch vi Britannia, the Demon Emperor of Britannia who forced his commands onto people through Geass and overwhelming power?

He laughed bitterly. To think that he was now worse an oppressor than his father ever was. He almost felt ashamed for becoming the dictator he was, when he remembered his declaration to Guildford, Cornelia's knight, _"To defeat evil, I will become the greater evil."_ At least that proved he wasn't a hypocrite.

The door of his shipboard bedroom slid open in a hiss, revealing the silhouette of a youthful, exotic-looking… he had no idea what to call C.C. anymore. Witch? Yes, he'd always stuck with that, but it seemed to hold a deeper and more emotional meaning after witnessing her memories of being persecuted as one. He decided that C.C. wanted to be normal again. To live and die as a normal human being. He cast his violet eyes downwards once more.

"I applaud you for being able to put a mask on against Nunnally the entire way," said C.C.

"I tried to uncover other paths around it, but the answer was always the same… "he replied, dejectedly. "That my decision back there was correct after defeating my parents."

The green-haired immortal stalked towards the bed and sat directly behind him, putting the weight of her back on his own. Strangely, it was comforting. It was a form of support on her part.

"Lelouch, isn't this enough?" asked C.C., softly. "You have done well."

"You understand the reason I must commit evil, right? Besides, a reign under Damocles, a system of Schneizel's, will make humans a symbol. Living in fear from a suspended fortress won't bode well for the world's future. FLEIA has caused a great many tragedies."

"But, Nunnally is on Damocles."

Lelouch's face contorted in pain at his sister's name.

"You have been doing all this for Nunnally's sake," reasoned C.C.

He straightened up. "I cannot give her special treatment anymore. For the many lives that have been sacrificed, we cannot afford to stop anymore. Isn't that so, C.C?" he raised his eyebrows, sadly.

The violet-eyed teenager could sense her smile as she pushed her weight further onto his back. "Yeah, you're right, Lelouch," she sighed, while squeezing his hand with her warm, delicate one as reassurance.

For once in his life, he was thankful that the witch was there for him. She wasn't merely an annoying, emotionless co-conspirator to him anymore. He'd actually grown quite attached to her. He laced his fingers with hers and turned around before pulling her into an embrace. She was shocked, to say the least, but welcomed the contact anyway.

Soon, he would be leaving her, just as he would be leaving Nunnally and the world. Tears threatened to spill as he thought about it. As much as C.C. pretended to be heartless, he'd once caught her singing to herself by the seaside without her knowledge, soon after they'd returned from the World of C and decided to execute the Zero Requiem.

The song had shattered his heart. Never had he thought the witch harboured any feelings for him, besides wanting to use him as a pawn to grant her wish.

_.~._

_A month ago, on Kamine Island, shortly after Lelouch defeated his parents… _

*Lelouch had told himself that he was only following C.C. to make sure she didn't hurt herself, although he was positive that the witch had more training and aptitude in self-defence or physical agility than he ever did.

Once again, he'd denied her only chance to die when he decided to banish Charles and Marianne into nonexistence. But she hadn't been smiling. She, herself, had admitted the fact after the battle. Therefore, her time was not up yet.

The night provided good cover, but the moon was bright enough to keep him far back, far enough away so she wouldn't see or hear his approach. But then he saw where she stopped, and realized that she deserved her privacy. She took a step into the water. The ocean glittered under the silvery moonlight as the gentle waves lapped at the shore. He'd been about to turn away when she lifted her face to the moon and sang.

The language was simple, and it sounded as if she came up with the words spontaneously. Her voice was soft and airy, lacked any real power and volume, but was laced with the emotion she had been concealing during the centuries. The hair on the nape of his neck stood on end as the bittersweet lament poured from her mouth, unaided by any instrumental accompaniment. She was trying, but failing to sound cheerful, all the while vocalizing the contents of her heart.

And it suddenly crashed down on Lelouch that she was covertly directing the song to _him._

**Alone, if I stand on a dune and  
>Aimlessly, gaze up at the heavens<br>Relaxedly, the ground level shakes, and  
>The sky is crying<p>

I forgave you  
>I felt love<br>But life is fleeting  
>Now you are dying<p>

Yet another something precious to me  
>Is about to disappear<br>Even so,  
>I will spill no tears<br>What was it that I have lost in exchange  
>For eternal love?<br>Even if my heart screams  
>When I'm sad, the path to<br>Tomorrow, which destiny keeps spinning around,  
>Is unstoppable<p>

I killed my emotions  
>I hid my expressions<br>Heartlessness is everything to this world  
>I'm gonna miss you<p>

Even if it's possible  
>For me to feel painful emotions<br>When we touch each other  
>I will spill no tears<br>The weight of a snuffed life is probably the same  
>As eternal love<br>Because I can be reincarnated  
>Every time I go beyond time-space<br>If we can meet a second time, I'm sure  
>I'll know it's you<p>

It had brought him to tears. This woman felt _love_ for him, and she was grieving over his impending death. _If only there was another way. _

She stood for a long moment, silent and unmoving.

He walked away.

.~.

C.C. dismounted her pink Knightmare Frame.

"C.C., are you okay?" asked Lelouch, from across the hangar.

"How rare. You're worried about me?" she replied, in her cool voice.

_Damn it. Of course, he was. She was his soulmate, not that he would ever admit that to her. Yet._

"You are a very important part of my force," he said, walking towards her. _Yes, he would use war as a reason to be with her now._

"Hmph." She glanced sideways toward a spare battery designed for her Knightmare mecha. "That's why I came to pick that up."

"Can I ask for your protection then?"

"So you will head out then?" she looked back at Lelouch with arched eyebrows. "You might end up having to kill Nunnally with your own hands."

He stopped in front of her. "If she is an obstacle for the Zero Requiem, then so be it."

C.C. turned away from him, looking almost guilty. "Lelouch, do you not hate me? By giving you Geass, I have drastically changed your fate."

"That's not like you, witch."

She brought her head back up and faced him.

"C.C., it is because of the Geass you gave me… It is because you were there that I was able to take my first step," he explained, locking gazes with her. "Everything from there on is of my own doing."

Ultimately, it wasn't the Geass that corrupted the user. It was users' sense of motivation and selfishness that brought about their doom. Charles and Marianne were blinded by their idea of peace, while Mao died from his obsession of C.C., and V.V. attempted to kill his mother because he didn't want Charles to stray from their initial goal. Lelouch's path of carnage was inevitable. By causing all that bloodshed, he would be stopping any further conflict for generations to come. Did that make him evil? He'd pondered over that a million times.

C.C.'s amber eyes glimmered with hope as she gave a watery smile. "This is the first time I've met a man like you…" She stalked towards him, like the cat she was.

"C.C…" Lelouch murmured her name like a prayer, as he advanced closer to her as well.

The perfect moment was abruptly ruined when a gigantic, scarlet humanoid war machine crashed into the room from the ceiling, sending rubble and debris flying.

Lelouch backed away and secured his footing. "Kallen!" he cried, recognizing the Gurren Knightmare.

"I will be the one to stop you. Goodbye, Lelouch," she bellowed, with tears glistening in her eyes.

C.C., who was already back in her own Knightmare, fired a barrage of missiles at Kallen, flooding the room with heat and orange light.

Lelouch took this chance to run towards the Shinkiro, and tossed aside all the unnecessary layers of his royal robes slowing him down.

"Leave this to me and head to the Damocles!" urged C.C. from her cockpit, as she bashed aside the Gurren.

"_You're annoying!" _snarled the red-haired pilot.

"But, against the Gurren, you're-" objected Lelouch.

"I was very happy that you were worried about me."

His violet eyes dilated.

"Hurry, and come back," ordered C.C. "You will smile for me then, no?"

He removed his emperor's hat and cast it aside. "Yeah, I promise!" And he flew off in his Shinkiro to the Damocles.

_.~._

_Two months later, Territory Under Direct Control of The Emperor, Japan._

This was it. The whole world's attention was directed on two figures. One, was a man clad in white. Despite the symbolization of the colour, the inhumanity of the tyrant made people flinch at the mention of his name. He was the Demon Emperor- the man who presently held sway over the entire human race, after holding the members of the United Federation of Nations hostage in the Damocles. In turn, he had sentenced them to a public execution for defying him. They were all lined up, bound to pillars, ready to be shot. However, the crowd's attention was not focused on them. No, their eyes fell on the second figure, an avatar of Justice and Integrity, namely, Zero, who held the sword that would bring about the fall of the Demon Emperor.

Lelouch glared daggers at Zero, reaching into his jacket for a gun to remove the nuisance. "You cretin-" And the masked renegade swiftly knocked it out from his grip.

Zero remained silent as he retracted his amethyst blade.

Lelouch smiled, as he remembered his agreement with his best friend. His favourite quote resounded in his head. _The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed._

_Suzaku, you will become a hero. You will become Zero, saviour of the world, who rescued everyone from the enemy of the world, Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia…_

There was no pain. He felt nothing when the sword was pierced through his chest, unsurprisingly really, since it was Suzaku, a professional soldier whose art of ending lives was perfected over a millenia who did it. He could feel the air tauten with shock and confusion from the crowd as his back arced over.

"Le-Lelouch…" Suzaku sobbed. If Lelouch wasn't dying then, he would've asked him why. Why shed tears over someone who had done so much wrong to the universe? He would've reprimanded him by saying "_No man is worth your tears."_

A wave of nausea overwhelmed him. Something about that sentence had brought him strange… not memories, but flashes of light from a distant era. It was a sure sign his body was reacting to the deep stab wound. It mattered no longer, all these trivial thoughts.

"This is punishment for you as well," he whispered weakly, as his head rested on Suzaku's shoulder. "You will be the defender of justice and wear a mask forever… You will no longer be able to live as Kururugi Suzaku…" He released his clutch on the wound and brought his bloodstained hand to stroke the mask one last time. It was a reminder of how far he'd come. How he'd managed to unite the world in contempt against him. He had fulfilled his destiny in succession, alongside with this man who he called best friend. "You will sacrifice all of your own happiness for the world… eternally…" All the while he continued smiling throughout his last instructions. He had broken the never-ending cycle of hatred and bloodshed.

"I… accept that _Geass_…" replied Zero, solemnly.

The blade was withdrawn from his body, pulling him forward. But he still felt nothing; even as he fell forward face first onto the walkway, sliding down and leaving a trail of crimson on the Britannian flag displayed there… his final act of rebellion in a way.

His blurry vision caught a moving shadow to his right. "Brother…" _Ahh, Nunnally… She would be liberated._ After ruthlessly ordering her to be chained up to the bottom of the pedestal, he had no right to even be in her presence. _He had no right to be called her brother. _He saw her look of disbelief as she caressed his hand. _Yes, she would know the truth now. Her remarkable ability of being able to sense people's sincerity and motives by feeling their hands rivalled the power of Geass._

"It can't be… Brother… All this long…" she whispered, breaking into heavy sobs, and using both her hands to grasp his bloodied one tighter than ever. _Another one,_ thought Lelouch, as he made out her weeping. _Another one who would cry over a demon._

"_Brother,_ _I love you!" _

He smiled. He did not deserve those words, but they served as a comfort of him knowing that Nunnally no longer hated him. "I… destroy worlds… and create worlds…"

And with that, darkness, blissful darkness took over Lelouch vi Britannia, as his violet eyes flitted shut beneath the sun and his sister.

.~.

"Brother!" Nunnally screamed, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. She refused to acknowledge his death. _Absolutely refused to._ "No! _Open your eyes!_" she wailed, burying her face into her brother's chest, ignoring the smudges of blood it left on her face. "_Lelouch! LELOUCH!" _

"_Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero!" _The crowd had begun chanting their Messiah's name.

No, the true Messiah had been Lelouch. It was only then when Nunnally realized it. "This isn't fair… I would've been happy with just being with you, Brother." She clawed at his garb furiously. "I can't bear a future without you, Brother… I just can't…"

**A/N: **

**I'm surprised you've made it this far. Gives me hope that this wasn't**_** absolutely**_** crappy (though I still have my doubts). Reviews and constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated (please refrain from flaming, I have a very small ego). Feel free to also share any ideas for potential plot, I'd love to know what people want from this.**

**References: *The part where Lelouch follows C.C. and sees her singing was inspired by Sarah. J. Maas' Crown of Midnight. Some of the sentences were taken from the book as well.**

****The song C.C. sings is called Reincarnation by Kuroishi Hitomi and was sung by Yukana (C.C.'s Japanese Voice Actor). Check it out on Youtube if you're interested to know what it sounds like (and no, sadly, I didn't compose the song).**

**~MistyNocturne ^_^**


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